The intersection between seniors, immigrants

Professor Dowell Myers of the University of Southern California studies population shifts and urban planning.

At that intersection, the scholar has delivered a new report on immigration.

Not only are immigrants good for America’s future, he says, but they will become increasing important to its aging boomers.

Why?

The U.S. workforce will have to support retiring Baby Boomers. Without immigrant workers, especially those climbing the socioeconomic ladder, boomers won’t be able to retire, or at least retire in a better economy.

While some may see immigrants as not contributing to the U.S. economy, Myers says the United States has to see them for what they are, and they are “workers, taxpayers and homebuyers” crucial to the economy.

Other key findings of his report, “Thinking Ahead about Our Immigrant Future: New Trends and Mutual Benefits in Our Aging Society”:

 Immigration is slowing. It’s not on the rise. Some analysts purposely have disguised that fact by averaging in immigration numbers before 2000. Since that year, their numbers have declined steadily.

 In areas of the country where immigrants are new, such as the South, immigrants are less assimilated. That’s to be expected. They’re new to the country. But in a generation — and certainly in yet another — such families assimilate, the report says. It’s also true that such families retain parts of their culture, which is part of U.S. culture, too.

The report summary offers this example. “In California, the share of Latino immigrants who are homeowners rises from 16.4 percent of those who have been in the United States for less than 10 years to 64.6 percent of those who have been here for 30 years or more. Similarly, English proficiency more than doubles from 33.4 percent of those who have been in the country for less than 10 years to 73.5 percent of those who have been here for 30 years or more.”

The study also makes clear that in new areas of immigration, federal help is needed to help defray increased costs of health care and education. But the professor adds such costs should be viewed as investments in a better workforce.

“The aging of the Baby Boom generation will create growing demand for younger workers,” the report says. “The ratio of seniors (age 65 and older) to working-age adults (25 to 64) will soar by 67 percent between 2010 and 2030. The rapid rise in the senior ratio will precipitate not only fiscal crises in the Social Security and Medicare systems, but workforce losses due to mass retirements that will drive labor-force growth perilously low. Immigrants and their children will help to fill these jobs and support the rising number of seniors economically. At the same time, immigrant homebuyers are also crucial in buying homes from the increasing number of older Americans. Immigrants will clearly be important in leading us out of the current housing downturn.”

Here’s a link to the report, which is taken from his book, “Immigrants and Boomers: Forging a New Social Contract for the Future of America.”